Gauge



Feb. 20, 1940.

GAUGE Filed Jul 18, 19:58

V 7% M Frank J. Viefling 27 m m Fig.5

Mammy F. J. VIERLING 2,190,899

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Fig.2 20 w 29 40 A? 5 18 M D 5 zz s A Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a gauge useful. for many purposes, but more especially adapted to be employed as a depth gauge.

An object of the invention is to provide a gauge wherein will be incorporated various improved features and characteristics of construction. I

And a further object is to provide a simple, durable, eflicient, novel and improved depth gauge.

With the above objects in view, as well as others which will appear as the specification proceeds, the invention comprises the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as now to be fully described and as hereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that the disclosure herein is merely illustrative and intended in no way in a limiting sense, changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts being permissible so long as within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims which follow.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a gauge made accord-- ing to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the gauge of Fig. 1 shown applied to use as a depth gauge;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical central longitudinal sectional View, taken on line 4--4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view, taken on line 5-5 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the gauge as seen from the left in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, disclosing said gauge applied to use in connection with a Vernier caliperv or micrometer;

Fig. 7 is an end elevational view of the gauge disclosing the end thereof opposite that shown m Fig. 6; and I Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a measuring element or rod of the gauge removed from the stock thereof.

With respect to the drawing and the numerals of reference thereon, a gauge stock is designated Ill. As disclosed, thestock I0 is of oblong configuration and includes a lower machined surface II. The upper surface I2 of said stock is for convenience parallel with the lower surface II thereof. Opposite end surfaces of the stock include portions I3 and I4 thereof which are parallel with each other and are perpendicular to the lower machined surface II and the upper surface l2.

Said stock I0 includes a cylindrical, internally threaded opening or chamber 85 therein extending downwardly from the upper surface I2 of the stock. As shown, the opening or chamber I5 is disposed at the longitudinal and transverse center of the upper surface I2, extends in perpendicular relation to the lower machined surface. II, and terminates at about the mid-thick ness of the stock. A guide channel or way It of smaller diameter than the opening or chamber I5 extends centrally from the inner portion of said opening or chamber I5 to and through the lower machined surface I! in perpendicular relation to said machined surface. It will be seen that the guide channel or way it constitutes a continuation ofthe opening or chamber l5 extending from the center of the base of said opening or chamber. I

A hollow measuring element or nut I'I includes a lower, externally threaded portion I8 thereof threaded into theinternaliy threaded opening or chamber I5. Desirably, said lower, externally threaded portion It is suitably split and associated with the internal thread of said opening or chamber l5 so that said element or nut is turnable only under the application of considerable force. The hollow measuring element or nut. H is set into the opening or chamber l5 a predetermined distance, as lay-employment of a spanner wrench I9 (dotted lines, Fig. 1) to rotate said element or nut. Any given setting of said element I! is adapted to make the perpendicular measurement from the top or outer surface 28 of the hollow measuring element or nut to the lower machined surface II of the stock it of the. gauge a predeterminedly selected measurement. Such measurement evidently can be altered at will by rotation of the element or nut IT in the internally threaded opening or chamber H3.

The element or nut I7 includes a concavity 2! which extends from location in said element or nut adjacent its top or upper surface 29 to and through the lower or inner end of the element or nut. More. explicitly, the concavity 2i opens at its lower or inner part to the lower portion of the opening or chamber I5 and is in axial alignment with the guide channel or way It.

A measuring element or rod 22 of the gauge has its upper portion disposed in or adapted to enter the lower part of theconcavity 2i, its ind termediate portion disposed in the guide channel or way It, and its lower portion arranged to extend outwardly of the stock Iil beyond its machined surface II. The element or rod 22 is snugly slidable in the guide channel or way I6 and the concavity 2| and is normally resiliently urged outwardly of the stock. Ill and its surface through the instrumentality of a helical spring 23 in the upper portion of said concavity 2|, be-

end of the fiat side 24 constitutes a stop for precluding accidental removal of said element orrod from the guide channel or way l6 past the guide and latch member 25. Said member 25 is slidably arranged in a horizontal bore 211 in the stock ID for movement toward and away from the element or rod 22, and a fiat spring 28,recessed in and secured to said stock by an anchoring screw 29, resiliently urges the guide member 25 into engagement with said flat side 24. Obviously, the element or rod 22 is readily removable from the stock by the exertion of an outward pull thereon of sufiicient magnitude to cause the flat spring 28 to flex to an extent permitting the shoulder 26 to be forced past said member 25. An element or rod can replace a removed element or rod by pushing in the substitute element or rod past said guide and latch member 25, the flat spring of course being caused to fiex outwardly. Elements or rods 22 of variable length suitable to different purposes can be employed. l

A longitudinal bore 3!] extends through the stock ll] from the end surface l4 thereof inwardly, and the inner. end of said longitudinal bore 30 communicates with the guide channel or way IS. A pin 3| serves to clamp the element or rod 22 in the guide channel or Way l6 so that 1 it will have fixed relation to the stock I0 when desired. Said pin 3| is situated in the inner end portion of the longitudinal bore 30 and extends between said guide channel or way l6 and a clamp screw 32 for the pin. The clamp screw 32 is fitted in an internally threaded opening 33 .in the stock. As shown, the opening 33 is parallel with the opening or chamber l5 and perpendicular to the lower machined surface A lower portion of said clamp screw 32 includes a conical cam surface 34 for engagement with the adjacent end of the pin 3|. An extension piece 35 of the clamp screw, below the conical cam surface 34, serves to preclude movement of said pin 3| to position directly beneath the axis of said clamp screw when the conical cam surface 34 is disengaged from the pin 3|. The outer end portion of the longitudinal bore 30 is closed by a plug 36. Clearly, by turning down the clamp screw 32 the conical cam surface 34 is caused to the base of said cut-out or bore B. While ac-' complishing the result, as in said Fig. 2, the clamp screw 32 would be loosened to cause the pin 3| to be released from the element or rod 22. Said element or rod first engaged the base of the cutout or bore B and upon downward movement of the stock l0 thereafter to engagement with the block A the measuring element or rod was made to move inwardly of the guide channel or way Is and the concavity 2| against the resilient action of the helical spring 23. While the parts of the gauge are situated, as in Fig. 2, the clamp screw 32 is turned down or tightened to cause the pin 3| to engage and fix the element or rod 22 against longitudinal movement. The known distance between the top or outer surface 23 of the element or nut I! and the lower machined surface I of the stock plus the length of the portion of the element or rod 22 below or at the outer side of said lower machined surface, as in said Fig. 2, may constitute the measurement by reference to which the depth of the bore B is determined, as by placing the depth gauge in a vernier caliper or micrometer C (Fig. 6). Or the gauge may be adjusted to desired measurement in the vernier caliper or micrometer and the element or rod 22 there locked in fixed relation to the stock and said gauge afterward ap plie-d'to a cut-out or bore, such as B, of a block or member, such as C. Also, the gauge or device may find use in other manners.

The fiat side of the measuring rod 722 may have a scale 31 engraved thereon for quick observation with reference to the base surface of stock If! in the taking of rough trial measurements during the progress of a particular piece of work. Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: 1. In a gauge, a stock having a measuring face and formed with a guideway therein, a measuring rod longitudinally slidable in said guideway and adapted to be projected outwardly from the stock beyond said measuring face, a spring acting to thus project the measuring rod, said rod having a flat surface longitudinally thereof and a stop shoulder at its inner end aligned with said flat surface, a latch member carried by said stock and movable into andout of said guideway, a spring acting on said latch member to move the same intothe path of said shoulder in said guideway, said latch member serving to engage the stop shoulder and thereby limit :the projection of the measuring rod under the action of said first spring, but being adapted, upon the application of additional force to said rod, to move out of said guideway and free the rod for removal from the stock, said latch member having a portion cooperating with said flat surface of said rod to maintain the angular disposition of the rod relative to the stock and thereby keepthe stop shoulder on said rod operatively disposed with respect to said latch member, and means for securing the measuring rod in any of its various longitudinally assumed positions relative to said stock. 2. In a gauge, a. stock having a measuring fee and formed with a guidewaythereon, a measure ing rod slidable in said guideway and adapted to be projected outwardly from the stock beyond said measuring face, a spring acting to thus project the measuring rod, said rod having a flat surface longitudinally thereof and a stop shoulder at its inner end aligned with said fiat surface, a yielding latch member carried by the stock and disposed to engage the stop shoulder on the meas-' uring rod and thereby limit the projection. of

said rod by the action of said spring, said fiat surface of said rod bearing a scale and cooperating with said latch member normally to preserve a given angular relation between the rod and stock, and means for securing the measuring rod in any of its various longitudinally assumed positions relative to said stock.

3. In a gauge, a stock having a bottom face adapted to be applied to the Work, said stock having a guideway therein open at the bottom thereof, a measuring rod longitudinally slidable in said guideway and adapted to be projected outwardly from the stock beyond said bottom face thereof, a spring acting to thus project the measuring rod, and means for securing said rod in its various longitudinally assumed positions relative to said stock, said means including a clamp screw threaded into the stock from the top thereof, the inner end of said screw having a conical cam thereon, said means also including a clamping pin slidable in the stock and disposed endwise between the measuring rod and clamping screw, the end of the pin adjacent to the clamp screw being adapted to be engaged by the cam thereon to advance the pin toward the measuring rod, the end of said pin adjacent to said rod being adapted to engage the rod and secure the same against movement in its guideway.

4. In a gauge, a stock having a bottom face adapted to be applied to the work, said stock havinga guideway therein open at the bottom thereof a measuring rod longitudinally slidable in said guideway and adapted to be projected outwardly from the stock beyond said bottom face thereof, a spring acting to thus project the measuring rod, and means for securing said rod in its various longitudinally assumed positions relative to said stock, said means including a clamp screw threaded into the stock from the top thereof, the inner end of said screw having a conical cam thereon and an axial terminal stop issuing from said cam, said means also including a clamping pin slidable in the stock and disposed endwise between the measuring rod and clamping screw, the end of the pin adjacent to the clamp screw being adapted to be engaged by the cam thereon to advance the pin toward the measuring rod, the end of said pin adjacent to said rod being adapted to engage the rod and secure the same against movement in its guideway, said terminal stop on the clamp screw serving to keep the pin from sliding under the screw and past the axis thereof when said screw is loosened to free said rod.

' FRANK J. VIERLING. 

